Never in his life had John Geisinger experienced such excruciating pain. Both of his arms were hurting as he made his way up another hill. Nausea overcame him as he broke out into a cold sweat.

He resisted the idea of getting help. After all, Geisinger felt like he probably was in the best shape of his life. After his first marriage ended in divorce, Geisinger picked up a new hobby — riding his bike. It became an obsession for the then 48-year-old man who felt the need to prove he could do anything — including riding his bike 10, 15 sometimes 20 miles a day on the hilly backcountry roads of New Philadelphia.

But on Sept. 12, 2005, Geisinger found himself to be the victim of a full-blown heart attack — one that doctors told him was typically called a widowmaker.

Fully recovered now, he will participate in the Dover-New Philadelphia Heart Chase from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Dover Middle School. The American Heart Association awareness event will be comprised of teams of two to five individuals who will complete various educational tasks, such as CPR and yoga.

Between the participants and the sponsors, the goal is to raise $15,000 toward education and research. In addition to teaching individuals basic nutrition and CPR, the AHA also funds research efforts that have led to technology such as “the stent which is used to keep arteries open and the heart and lung bypass machine which is used to keep pieces alive during open heart surgeries,” said Gina Henke, the communications director for the American Heart Association.

A physical fitness guru who always ate right, Geisinger had no idea that he had a major blockage in his artery, that having gone unchecked for nearly three hours would cause a lot of damage.

“It never even crossed my mind that something like that could happen to me,” he said.

That’s why he kept resisting asking for help until he finally asked a local resident to use their phone. He called a friend who picked him up to take him to the hospital — but only after he stopped for his insurance card.

After staying at Aultman Hospital for nearly a week, he was released. But instead of returning to work, he entered a cardio rehabilitation program at Union Hospital in Dover.

Geisinger felt out of place. Hooked up to a heart monitor, slowly walking on the treadmill, he couldn’t believe that he was in the same rehabilitation unit as several elderly individuals and others who looked like they were obviously out of shape.

She spoke with Geisinger about his story because she wanted to share it with the community as an eye-opening cautionary tale to remind people that the disease can affect anyone — even those who take care of themselves.

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In fact, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death among Americans and will affect one out of three Americans in their lifetime, she said.

For all of the problems caused by heart disease, Henke said there are still a lot of men and women who don’t realize the risk factors they or their loved ones may be facing. Often the signs of a heart attack are subtle, she said.

While there is often pain in the chest, heart attack symptoms also include pain in the arms, back, neck and jaw, as well as shortness of breath and nausea. Oftentimes these symptoms can be confused for indigestion or other issues — which can be a fatal mistake as Geisinger’s almost was.

“YOUR LIFE IS NOT OVER JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE SICK”

In fact, Geisinger benefited from those stents that cleared the blocked artery that caused his heart attack. But the damage had already been done.

One of the key things he has wanted to share with others since his heart attack and subsequent issues was the danger in waiting for help.

“I pretty much fought the doctors,” he said. “I was determined to do this on my own, to do it naturally and prove them wrong.”

He got back on his bike, even going so far as to follow his dream to riding along Pebble Beach in California and to ride along the Continental Divide in Colorado.

Of course, he could only beat the odds for so long and slowly wore out. Harder than the physical fatigue, was the mental toll it took in recognizing he was no longer capable of working out as hard for as long as he had been. However, there were other circumstances that made life a lot richer and happier for him.

His near-death experience and painful recovery gave him a gratitude and appreciation for all the people who helped and supported him, including the staff at Union Hospital. That’s when he decided to start volunteering about once a week.

For a while he was in charge of patient dismissals.

“I have compassion and I have sympathy. I get it,” he said. “Before I didn’t get it.”

He found volunteering to be more rewarding than his obsession with riding his bike. After a while, he met his wife Debbie, who worked at the hospital.

Debbie had also gone through a divorce and didn’t think about dating seriously until she met Geisinger.

“If I ever went out again I’d like to go out with someone like that,” she told her co-workers.

So a few mutual friends set them up, making both of them incredibly happy. However, Geisinger’s condition continued to deteriorate. Now in his 50s, he still wanted to go about life naturally and struggled to accept that heart disease was a part of his life that would need to be monitored and treated

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“I would go to work and I would come home and just be in bed,” he recalled. “I was just running out of steam.”

Debbie was in a difficult situation. They were only dating as his health showed progressive declines, so broaching the subject was like “walking a fine line.

“He was proud of the fact that he was in shape and he got back to where doctors told him he would never do,” she said.

Finally she was able to get through to him. “I tried to take the moments I felt like he was willing to listen and share my concerns, ‘Hey I think this is a warning sign. I think you need to get this done.’

“It’s tough, real tough. I prayed a lot. I prayed he would open himself up to what people were trying to say to him. We were saying it because we loved him. I wanted to be harsh with him and say ‘This is the way it is. At the same time, I understood it was his body. (Then as) his wife I had to respect his decision.”

Geisinger said he finally realized he needed more help. Debbie reminded him that his decisions didn’t just impact him anymore — and that there were a lot of people who had a stake in how his life turned out.

He agreed to get an ICD Pacemaker to keep his heart pumping. In fact, the device has already saved his life by restarting his heart. He credits his now wife of two years, Debbie, her daughters, his mother and friends for pushing him to take care of himself.

“Your life is not over because you get sick,” he said. “The past eight years have been the best of my life. The opportunities and experiences I have been given are a blessing from God.”

Still, he wishes he would have acted more quickly after his initial heart attack, and took physicians’ advice about getting the ICD Pacemaker sooner. At 56, he is retired for health reasons and struggles with the disease, no longer capable of strenuous exercise. At Sunday’s Heart Chase, he hopes to get the point across that if people heed warning signs early, react quickly and take medical advice “they (won’t) be in the condition I am now.”

Reach Meghan at 330-364-8419 or meghan.millea@timesreporter.com

On Twitter @mmilleaTR

Dover Heart Chase

When: 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 8. Registration begins at 1 p.m.

Where: The event starts at Dover Middle School

What: The Heart Chase is a fundraiser for the American Heart Association and spreads awareness about heart disease. Contestants will participate in short challenges, such as CPR practice, yoga and disc golf

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Who: Anyone of any age can join a team of 2 to 5 people

Cost: There is no cost to join but, individuals are encouraged to raise at least $50 to get a T-shirt

To register: Participants are encouraged to register in advance online at www.heartchase.org. Teams can also register prior to the event at 1 p.m.

Warning signs of a heart attack

• Pain and discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes

• Unexplainable nausea that doesn’t go away

• Discomfort or pain in the arms, back, neck or jaw area

• Shortness of breath

• Lightheadedness

• Breaking out into a cold sweat

• * If you feel something out of the ordinary that won’t go away after five minutes, seek immediate medical attention